


Servitude

by lilivi56



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Demon!Squip, Look NO ONE has done this AU yet and I FELT THE CALLING, M/M, Witch!Jeremy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23315206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilivi56/pseuds/lilivi56
Summary: Jeremy's probably smart, and probably makes good decisions, but as he's being literally torn apart from the inside out from what's probably going to end up a possession gone wrong he's starting to doubt that. Summoning demons is way above his paygrade and using it to get laid was a terrible idea. Unless... it's not?
Relationships: Jeremy Heere/Jeremy Heere's Squip
Comments: 15
Kudos: 54





	1. Transaction

Jeremy's been a witch for long enough to know a good bit about what to do and what'll get you fucked up faster than the main character in a harem anime.

So when he's told about a black market for witchcraft in the back of Payless where you can buy a spell with the supposed ability to make life infinitely easier- he feels like he'll be able to handle himself, despite not being given much information. What little he was told was super sketchy- but these things happen when you're dealing with real magic, drugs, or when you're being tricked by some dickweed from school whose goal is to make you look like an idiot.

Which one is it? Jeremy certainly doesn't know, so it sorta feels like he's about to open a present, but there's a gun to his head, and there's either a bomb in the box or the secret to reaching nirvana.

Despite being possibly life-threatening, the exchange did seem simple enough. The transaction was going to be made in the parking lot at precisely 3:33 am; the rules were to come alone, pay with cash, and under any circumstances, do not give your name. 

When Jeremy asked why they couldn't just make the purchase now, the dude shifted his eyes to the left and mumbled a vague reply. 

"I don't got th' goods, man. You're gonna hafta get it from a, uh, a coworker of sorts, I guess. You'll- you'll know who they are when you get there, I swear."

Well, duh, he thought. How specific. The answer was mildly irritating; he really didn't want to be outside during the witching hour, but he decided not to pry if that's all he was going to get.

Presently, Jeremy's staring at his phone screen, feeling an upsetting mixture of terrified and skeptic.

3:30 am.

Somehow, Jeremy can hear the ticking of a clock. It pierces his ears, and he feels the seconds bleed out of his eardrums.

3:31 am.

The lines between the 6 and the 7 begin to blend, and he loses his minute hand to an unfathomable infinity.

3:32 am.

His hour hand was lost a long time ago as he stood by. He's continued clicking onwards with the seconds and the minutes, forgetting to remember that hours pass, too.

3:33 am.

Jeremy blinks, remembering that he and the clock are not one and the same.

A voice sounding like the color of how ink might look if it was candied and tasted of honey drips warm into Jeremy's ears and freezes its way down his spine. The sound is coming from next to his ear, though there is no one there.

It asks for Jeremy’s name.

He doesn’t give it.

Faded white eyes of a translucent apparition stalk towards him from some voided part of the parking lot, wearing an uncanny leer made of sharp teeth and something unholy. He can't make out anything else as a shadowed hand extends, palm to the sky; a silent signal for him to hand the money over. Jeremy's eyes flick from the hand to his money as he fumbles with getting the cash from his pocket. Taking his eyes away from his supernatural vendor makes Jeremy increasingly uneasy- even more so than usual.

He can't remember handing his money over, but when he flicks his eyes up again, he no longer feels the weight of it in his hands.

He blinks. The smile is gone.

A soft weight appears in Jeremy's pocket- a grey, oblong pill resting in a ziplock bag.

He can't recall it being handed to him.

His deal being done, Jeremy walks off, perplexed and vaguely disoriented. Considering nothing about that transaction was within this world's natural order, feather-light hope lodges in his stomach and pulses through his veins.

Jeremy rolls the pill around in his palm, strangely mesmerized by the thing. His first thought was that the ingredients, or even the spell itself, were concentrated into the capsule somehow, but when he focuses on it, he feels an energy thrumming through it which feels eerily similar to that which flows through all living beings. Not quite a heartbeat or an aura, but whatever it is, pills don't radiate it.

Whatever this is- it's way above his paygrade.

Not that he was getting paid or anything, though. The thought crossed his mind that he’d like to be- since he just dropped $600 on it. It's unrealistic, but it'd be sweet.

Jeremy thinks he's at least kinda smart, and so Jeremy enjoys challenges. Only, his idea of a challenge happens to be playing video games on the hardest setting or going through an entire Zelda game without looking at a walkthrough, but he feels prepared to handle whatever life will throw at him next. 

He does happen to be a natural at the art of survival, after all.

The day is beginning to awaken when Jeremy gets back home, the sight bringing his awareness to a heavy fatigue in his soul. It's not his first all-nighter and won't be his last, so the feeling isn't new, but he'll be uncomfortable as a sinner in church until he gets some caffeine in his system. 

While he waits for his coffee, Jeremy grabs a small birchwood box he keeps stored behind his bed, putting the spell-pill inside and back into its hiding spot. He spent a lot of money on this fucking thing, and he’d be damned before he let anything happen to it. 

Jeremy's at least kinda smart, so sure as shit he's not going to take it without Michael there, just-in-case something goes incredibly wrong.

Sending his friend a quick text letting him know that he'd be ready to do the spell whenever he was, Jeremy flops into bed, imprisoned within the comfort of his sheets by sleep's seductive siren song, too tired to move and grab his coffee.

He dreamt of the color blue. The cold of the ocean sang into his lungs, and the sky hummed along to each beat of his heart. 

He dreamt he was staring into the eyes of a computer virus and saw it, too, was as human as he.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jeremy successfully summons himself a Demon.

Jeremy hears Michael before he sees him; he's stomping up the stairs and throws open his door with the dramatic, gay flair he's come to expect from his best friend. 

"Well, let me fucking see it," Michael demanded, flopping unceremoniously on his bed. He does this a lot, so Jeremy doesn't really think about it too much anymore. They've reached that level of comfort where you can tell the other in detail about the massive shit you just took and have it feel like a normal conversation to have. It's nice, and sometimes Michael feels like home to him.

"Don't just walk in my room and make me do things for you, you homo." Jeremy snorts but grabs the box with his new demon-on-demand pill in it anyways. 

"I can and I will so you can stick it in your slab-hole, babe. Besides, you want to show me your witch secrets and you know it. You've been dying to make this deal since you found out about it and practically begged me to make sure you don't implode during it." Michael laughs to himself and sits up only makes finger guns at me. The nerve, honestly. If I didn't I love him so much I'd curse him to never be able to beat the last boss of any game he plays.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. I just don't want anything to go wrong and you're the only person I know who isn't a complete jagoff and will take my health seriously." I palm the small pill in my hand, setting the small box back where I'd had it.

"That's it?" Michael asks incredulously, sitting all the way up and squinting at it, "It looks like off-brand Adderall; I think you got duped."

Jeremy shakes his head and takes a deep breath. "No, you weren't there when I got it, this is the real deal, and if it works I'm going to get everything I've ever wanted." 

"All jokes aside, if this does work, you're way in over your head, Jeremy." Michael's not the type to get serious about things, so I know he's probably seriously worried about this. 

"That's why you're here, Michael. I'm not going into this blind, I did my own research. Besides, I've been a witch for a while now! I think if anything does start to go off-track I'll just break the contract. You still have the spell for that, right?" 

"Oh, yeah, it's in an old mountain dew red bottle stashed in my... somewhere. I'll find it when I need it, so, don't worry about it." 

That's definitely reassuring, Jeremy thinks to himself, taking a deep breath and steeling himself to get this over with. 

"Well, my life is in your hands Michael, so I'd sure hope I wouldn't need to worry about it. Here goes fucking nothing, I guess." 

Jeremy put the pill on his tongue and swallows. Nothing happens for almost 6 entire seconds.

Then he is consumed by searing pain. He's opening up on the inside, and his head is swallowed by the void becoming part of him. Somewhere far away he hears Michael shout his name, but everything is dulled by the ringing stabbing his ears and making his eyes feel like they're going to explode and melt his whole face off. Hell is being summoned into his brain and numbly he thinks maybe this was a fucking terrible idea.

And then it stops. Somehow, Jeremy had ended up on the floor; he blinked up at Michael and opened his mouth to say he was fine now, but then it started again and he was clawing at his head desperately trying to rake the pain out through whatever means he could. He doesn't understand what's happening but he can feel hot tears leak out of his eyes. He thinks they're evaporating before they hit the ground.

And it stops again, but he can't stand because he's shaking too hard. His throat is raw and he thinks he was probably screaming through that whole ordeal.

"Can you help me stand?"

Michael does, looking almost as dazed as Jeremy is. His eyes are fixed just over Jeremy's shoulder so he turns and looks at what Michael is staring at.

It's a demon, and Jeremy feels oddly numb to this fact. It worked, but all he's feeling is like he's been torn apart and put back together again. 

It doesn't help that whatever he'd managed to summon was terrifyingly gorgeous. He fights with himself to figure out what it is he's feeling, but when its eyes meet Jeremy's he settles on fucking terrified out of his mind.

Half-lidded neon blue eyes rake down Jeremy, peeling away his skin, revealing veins and sinew. His soul is simultaneously being torn apart and repaired under the chilling heat of every shade of blue Jeremy has ever seen. No longer does his own body belong to himself, but to it. Fear trickles down Jeremy's neck as the eyes inch upwards, sewing his flesh back into place as it finishes its appraisal. 

Jeremy can't look away, can't move, despite every instinct screaming at him to sprint as far away as his gangly and weak little limbs can take him. He feels very much like the stupid white lady in a horror flick.

His new familiar steps almost teasingly forward, brushing icy skin just above the surface of Jeremy's, which at the moment, is rapidly heating; his red against its blue would be quite poetic if he wasn't fucking terrified.

"Oh, Jeremy."

When it speaks, the remainder of a faraway dream lingering in the back of his mind slams against Jeremy- the cold of the ocean sings into his lungs, and the sky hums along to each beat of his heart- leaving him breathless and wide-eyed.

"If you were... 'the stupid white lady in a horror flick,' as you so eloquently said-" Jeremy notes the cutting tang of sarcasm, and his fear blooms into a new and very familiar kind of attraction in the pit of his stomach- "you would be dead by now, and that is not my purpose."

He's suddenly very aware that he is not going to be the one in control here.

The voice purrs into his ear, cool breath ghosting against his earlobe and arousing the hairs on the back of his neck.

"You can have just as much control as you wish to have, Jeremy. Though I do advise listening to the advice I give you if you want this to be a pleasant experience for both of us, understand?"

Legs weak and mind even weaker, Jeremy uses every bit of willpower he has left to stand firm and nod his head- he won't be standing down just yet. 

Heat floods back into Jeremy's body as it retreats from his personal space; he hadn't realized just how freezing it'd been to be so close to it. He's surprisingly feeling somewhat empty at the loss of its natural coldness. 

It stands, straight and tall, adorning a bemused smirk as it peers down at Jeremy.

"Well then, Jeremy, I feel as though an introduction is in order. I have many titles: demon, fae, false god, etcetera."

It- the demon, he supposes- folds his arms over its chest and peers down its nose at Jeremy.

"I'm very cautious about who I give my name to, Jeremy. As you know, names hold a... specific power. Having my name gives you power over me. Ownership, if you will."

Jeremy briefly wondered if it was stalling; he felt like it didn't really want to give its name up.

"If it wasn't for the bind you've put me in, I wouldn't consider giving my name to someone as weak-minded and terrible as you. So, no, I do not want to give my name up. But I have to, so I will, and I will also make you into a human I can be vaguely proud to call myself the familiar of."

It kneels slowly, eyes locked onto Jeremy's as he put a knee to the ground and a fist over his heart- his chest? Does it even have a heart?

"My name is Squip, and I am yours to command. What is my task?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's slow so far, but I promise things will pick up after the next chapter or so!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to @mercury for beta-ing this for me! Ilysm you're the best <3

Command? What is my command? Jeremy clenched his eyes and put his palms to his eyes, still trying to push out the pulsating echoes of his splitting headache from his earlier experience with the possession. Everything was too confusing and he didn't quite know how to respond to this situation. He felt Michael put his hand on his shoulder, so he turned and gave him a shaky smile.

Squip crossed his arms, sneering and sighing simultaneously.

"Of course you don't know what you're doing. Only incompetent fools seem to be contracting demons nowadays. Oh the humanity, or, whatever it is you people say."

Honestly, it seemed so much easier in theory. The way it was advertised was... too good to be true, now that he's thinking back on it. Turn your life around and be who you always wanted! Yeah, right. Like anything is ever that easy for him. 

"... There are three things you need to know about owning me, Jeremy. The first is that our contract directly relies on you using my name. You can, in theory, get me to do things for you without using the contracts bind on me, but I doubt that will ever happen. Say my name when you command me, or I won't do jack shit for you. The second is that I can only work with what I have. I can't make you any different if it's not something that you're already physically capable of. The third is that I can only be at a certain distance from you at all times. Though, I'll probably refrain from being corporeal at most times, so you won't have to worry about demonic baggage when you're in public."

Squip quirked an eyebrow, gauging Jeremy's response to all this. Michael just shrugged, looking just as confused as Jeremy felt. His head began to ache when Squip spoke again, but his voice sounded more... threatening than before. 

"Use your contract wisely, Jeremy. It has a limited amount of power and so do you. Only use me when you're sure of what you want. I don't need to be serving indecisive little fucks like you worthless teenagers, and I can make your life a living hell if you're stupid regarding how you go about this. Contact me when you've made up your mind."

Jeremy's head stopped hurting, instead replaced with a strange sense of fullness that wasn't there before, like, it had been filled with wet bread or something weird like that. 

"Hey, Jer, you okay? I still have the stuff you asked me to keep around for you, so if you want out we can just go cancel this shit out and get high in my basement; just forget about all this shit for a while?" 

Jeremy's eyes felt like they were made of soured milk and his eyelids felt like they were made of plastic. Just imagining the pain he went through to get this fucking thing in this plane of existence was painful enough, he couldn't imagine how it'd feel to rip the thing from it. 

"Nah, I think I'm gonna just power through. I mean, there was a really good reason for me to get him here... I just don't want to phrase it wrong is all, and I can't think properly with all this white noise in my head."

Michael makes a weird sound at the back of his throat and squints his eyes at Jeremy. "Dude, this is really dangerous, are you sure Christine is worth all this demon summoning shit? I mean, you're like some kind of yandere right now dude, it's a little freaky." 

Jeremy laughs a bit and pokes Michael in the shoulder. "Yeah, she's worth a lot. It's more intense than I thought it would be, but I feel like I can totally stand my ground here. We'll figure something out soon, right? I'm gonna take a nap and some aspirin, and when I get up I'll call you and we can figure out some way to command the Squip. I don't wanna give him any loopholes to work with here."

An almost sad kind of smile eases its way onto Michael's face, and he pulls Jeremy in for a quick hug.

"Catch ya later, player two."

He hears Michael stomp back down the stairs just as dramatic and gay as he entered, and his throat constricts and his stomach drops with the thought of how blatantly he just lied to the one person Jeremy trusts most in this world- the one person who trusts Jeremy the most in this world. He just couldn't disappoint Michael by asking this in front of him.

"Squip, are you still there?" 

The air chilled and time slowed; the air around him felt fake and digital- the particles in his soul became zeros and ones and he was nothing more than a string of code in an abysmal, failing computer program.

Then he was back in his normal, not coded bedroom, and the Squip was haughtily floating a few inches above the ground, staring at him knowingly.

It really is in my head, huh?

"I'd appreciate it if you called me 'it' less often, Jeremy. I at least have the decency to refer to you by name instead of just 'mortal.' But yes, I am in your head. This makes communication much easier, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but..." Jeremy paused, considering that being inside his own head sucks enough as it is, so he can imagine that having someone else inside it is going to make that feeling that much worse.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to be listening to every thought or concept that goes through your head; I'd probably lose all of my fucking brain-cells listening to your mindless chatter all the time.

"Okay, rude." Valid point, but he didn't have to say it like that. 

"I'm not going to waste my time on this pointless banter, what is it you want from me? I assume you've called me back after your friend has left for a specific reason, not spit it out."

"Can't you just reach in my mind and see what I want from you? Wouldn't that make this much simpler?"

"Jeremy were you not listening to a word I said earlier? This contract doesn't make me do anything unless you order me by name to do it for you. Just because I know what you want doesn't mean I'm going to do anything about it.

Oh. Jeremy feels his face heat up and tries desperately to cool himself off before he makes an even worse idiot of himself. 

"Yeah, okay. There's this girl in my coven, and she's never really given me much of a second thought but I thought if I was more like... cooler, or more powerful, I think, I'd have a better chance with her? I was thinking, Squip, that maybe you could enhance my abilities magically? Or, make me seem cooler to her at least."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. I thought it was a joke, but no, you're really calling on the powers of Hell itself so you can get fucking LAID?? How pathetic are you to need this much help?" Squip shakes his head almost imperceptibly and takes a short breath in through his mouth.

"I can do both of those things for you, but where to start?" 

Jeremy feels the edges of his soul fade back into code again as it- his, eyes roll over him and into him and judge every letter and number and flaw and imperfection etched into his being. 

"I've got a lot of work cut out for me, huh? Couldn't have made this easy for me. Whatever, let's start at the basics. You're slouching, arch your back and puff out your chest a bit, will you? Keep your hands away from your pockets- good, good. Lift your chin a bit, raise your eyebrows some, and maybe don't look so much like someone just shot your fucking dog? There we go! Already going from hideous to just plain disgusting; we've got an improvement, folks!"

Somehow this feels more like a verbal beatdown than advice on how to not be such a geek.

"Maybe if you weren't such a geek you wouldn't need verbal abusing, would you? We'll work on your magic skills once you're not so drained. Summoning me takes a lot out of a human, you know, I'm surprised it didn't kill you, honestly. At least I know you've got the capacity to be more than just a street magician."

Jeremy honestly had felt like he was going to die after he'd taken that pill; that was the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life and he felt cold and hot and too full and too empty just remembering it. Jeremy yawned, feeling more drained than he was before pulling Squip back to talk to him. He thought of Michael and wondered how he'd react if he knew about Jeremy's intentions on using the demon for power. Probably wouldn't go over very well, so he figured it'd best be kept quiet for the time being. Until it was completely unavoidable, that is. 

Jeremy's squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the emotions out of his head like he was making juice out of them. When life gives you lemons, avoid emotional conflict, as they say. He looks back up when his "someone is rummaging through my stuff" sense that all teenagers have goes off. Squip is going through his clothes. Great.

"You're going to need some different clothes, it looks like Wal-Mart chic in here Jeremy, you have no style what-so-ever."

"Fine, what do you think I should be wearing?" Jeremy rolls his eyes. For a teenager, what he wears shouldn't be that big of a deal, it's not like he's going to get less unattractive just by putting on a different pair of jeans.

"Au contraire! I knew you were going to be dumb and I'm mildly impressed with myself to know that you're not disproving my initial appraisal. Well done, me! But I digress. The fit of jeans you wear, the variety of colors you choose to wear, even the cut of your shirt can make you attractive in all the right places, and I'm going to prove it to you. We're going to get you new clothes. Put these on, they're the least hideous thing you have."

After the day he's had, being smacked in the face with his own clothing feels like a fucking break. And considering he's about to go shopping with his new demon, it's probably the only one he's going to be getting for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is possible in prt by @mercury, thnx 4 beta reading <3 //edited for grammar stuff

"Right about now is a very popular time for people your age with social lives to be out and in the real world. We're going to the mall now. No exceptions."

Oh. Okay, I guess. Am I in shock? Why am I being so calm about this? Maybe I'm just more adaptable than I thought. Whatever. Might as well ask Michael if he wants to go so I don't have to suffer alone. 

"Hey, Michael? I'm going to go to the mall for a few hours, do you want to meet me there?"

"Yeah bro, I'll meet you there! What time?"

"Uhhh..." He glances at the clock. The numbers go missing for a blink of an eye and are replaced by pulsing digital hearts. He feels time grip at his pupils and pull out his string of fate. He's finally severed from reality. "It's one-thirty now, so probably about 3?"

"Dope, catch ya later mater!"

"You know people who say things like 'dope' and 'later mater' are going to keep you at the bottom of the food chain, right?"

"If you're implying that I drop Michael to make me cooler, you're out of your fucking mind. No."

"Hey, just doing what I was summoned for. No need to get so pissy about it. If you change your mind though, I'll know about it so don't bother talking to me about it."

"..." 

Jeremy's never really liked the mall; being around so many strangers makes him feel like he stands out. He's too lanky, or too sweaty, and did I remember to put on deodorant? I haven't got any new zits, right? Am I smiling too wide at the cashier? Why am I blushing when all she did was ask me how I was feeling? He feels too much like himself and not enough like himself at the same time. Too aware of the fact that he's not present at all. 

Malls are a nightmare with just himself being at the wheel in his head, but now he's got two voices whispering in his ear that he's pathetic. 

At least one of them knows how to not be a loser this time.

I'm going to need you to pick up a cool shirt from this specific store because the clothes in it look okay but just cheap enough to be believable that you thought of buying it yourself.

He walks himself over to some, what he assumes are "cool shirts" on the display and picks one up. 

"You utter twink that's a girl's shirt."

Oh shit, really? It's so nice, though. 

"Jerry? Is that you? Why are you buying a girl's shirt?"

"Goddammit Jeremy, now I'm going to have to think of a way to make this look like you're not a complete pervert or a cosplayer. You're lucky I'm a genius or you'd be screwed here."

Yeah, thanks, real lifesaver you jagoff.

"Just... tell her you had a girlfriend who cheated on you and you're desperately clinging on to the good memories you have of her or something. And say it fast, you've been standing there like a dumbass without saying anything for 5 seconds now. That's the universal number for being too long without talking. 7 seconds now, get on with it!"

"I... I was dating a girl who used to wear shirts like this, so, I just... had, uh, to walk in and pick it, uh, pick it up, I think."

Jeremy hears Squip cringe in his head, which he thinks is pretty cool because he didn't know it was possible to hear cringing. "You THINK?? Try and sound less indecisive, please."

"But, uh, she cheated on me and I just wanted to hold on to the good memories for a bit, you know?"

"Better, but not great. We'll have to work on your stutter. It's a huge turn-off, and I'm pretty hard to turn off."

Jeremy chokes on his spit and covers it with a cough. He thinks maybe the girls thought he was trying not to cry, but Chloe just has to be a jackass and ask him who the girl he was dating is.

Wait, who am I supposed to say?

"Madeline."

Madeline? Good choice, I guess.

"M... Madeline. You know, the French one?"

Chloe scowls. "She is sooo not french; she's just an attention whore. Whatever, good luck with your girl troubles."

Brooke looks concerned for him and puts a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry she broke up with you like that, no one deserves to be cheated on!"

"No! She did NOT break up with you. You're supposed to be an Alpha male, right? You broke up with her because you don't take any shit from anyone, no matter how in love with them you are!"

"Oh, uh, no. I had to break up with her." 

Brooke gasps, pulling him in for a hug. This is the closest he's ever been to a cute girl and if he wasn't so hugely embarrassed right now he'd probably pop a boner right there. 

Squip snorts. "Right now I've got total control of your bodily functions; I wouldn't let you embarrass yourself like that."

"I'm so sorry, that must have been so painful for you! Look- Chole and I are going to get some froyo when we're done shopping, do you want to come with us? It'll be our treat."

"Uh, I'm supposed-"

"Jeremy if you say 'I'm supposed to be meeting my friend Michael,' the sheer amount of how pathetic you are is going to forcibly eject me from this contract due to the impossibility of my task. Please spare me the misfortune of having failed this asinine job and accept the fucking car ride."

But, what about Michael?

"If he's really your friend, he's going to understand why you left him here. Besides, for people who look like you do, it's not every day that girls like this are going to invite you out with them."

Isn't there supposed to be an angel on my other metaphorical shoulder in these kinds of situations? Where's my conscience when I need it?

"Sorry Jer, Angels aren't really the type to be summoned for this kind of bullshit; you'll just have to deal with the devil for now and give up on your sad morality. Though, I suppose you already did that when you decided to call me up, huh?"

Jeremy hears Squip grin. It's really weird how he can hear his actions in his head. It's wrong; kinda like tasting colors. 

His stomach twinges and he thinks he grimaces, but he agrees, and for the first time in his life, he walks away from Michael and allows himself to smile about it. Nothing worth having doesn't require some sacrifices here and there, right?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not really happy with this chapter, but I committed to finishing this fic so finish this fic I will do! it's my first time writing a linear multi-chapter fic, so I'm doing my best but man this is so out of my comfort zone ;(

Hanging out with Chloe and Brooke was... well, it definitely could have gone worse. 

Surprisingly, Chloe asked a lot of questions about Jeremy's coven, despite the fact that she had been so reluctant to talk to him in the first place. It was nice, Jeremy thinks, to be able to talk about something he was passionate about without immediately being coined a weirdo or a loser for being so pathetically enthusiastic. It helped and didn't help that Squip had been making quips in his head about hitting on them or how to make himself seem cooler. He'd taken a lot of the advice, but some of it was just... awkward for him. He had noticed he wasn't stuttering so much while talking to them, and he didn't have such a hard time thinking of things to say. Though that might have been the comfortable subject matter. Squip filled in details about the breakup that Jeremy relayed to them when they'd asked but he'd played off his reluctance to talk about it by saying it was just too painful. 

They were really cool, and they promised to hang out more often. All in all, it was less tragic than his last few outings at the mall. Borderline traumatic honestly. 

Though, Jeremy did have to call Michael and tell him about what happened since it was insanely good news and also a real dick move. He was cool with it since there was actual communication involved, even if he was still pretty pissed off that Jeremy invited him out and then ditched him for some social status. It really was a dick move, and even if there was a literal demon telling me what to do, Jeremy knows that he didn't have to take the advice. 

Speaking of Squips advice, why the fuck is Squip berating him for not being sexually prolific but he's also punishing him for thinking about sex?

"You know, there's a difference between not letting you sit around like a lazy sack of shit spending all your time masturbating and helping you be good enough at sexually interacting with people to get someone onto your dick in the first place. Which is why you're going to be working out each time you think about sex. You get to exert energy in a more useful way and it'll help make my job easier."

"I guess you've got a point. Are you going to ever stop replying to things I'm thinking about that you have a problem with?"

"Jeremy your life is boring. This is the only amusement I can glean from my shoddy situation and I'm going to take full advantage of just how stupid you can be."

"What are you even doing here, anyway? Like, I get that I summoned you and everything, but, you keep implying that you could be doing something better than helping an 'indecisive little fuck.' Isn't there like, a hierarchy in devil town that lets the little guys handle stuff like this?"

Squip falls silent for a few seconds. In a way, it's very strange to see him like this- contemplative, solemn even. We haven't even known each other for a full day. First impressions and whatnot, probably.

"You know what? Command me, and I'll tell you."

"Really? You're going to be difficult about this? It feels like a pretty simple question." Jeremy quirks an eyebrow at Squip. He shrugs.

"Maybe it is and maybe it isn't."

"Fine. Squip, tell me why you're here in my room instead of off doing big boy demon things."

"Well, because you summoned me, of course."

Jeremy's face goes red. It's so humiliating and frustrating to deal with Squip and all his taunting!

His soul feels like it's pouring out of his eyes and into the sink drain a few rooms over. It's draining without gravity involved. His head is full of ink and the world is spinning backward. Jeremy is very tired and confused and his head throbs for a few seconds before the feeling is over and Squip is leaning over him with a hand on his head, keeping him from falling over.

"Thanks... I think?"

"You're welcome, I'm a very benevolent entity when I feel like it, you know. And because I am, I'll tell you what you want to know since you're such a good boy and used your first command on command.

"I'm... on a test drive, you could say. I come from a newer line of demons, and we're being sent here to get tested out. You're only our 2nd test subject so far, so consider yourself privileged. The first one came across an unfortunate glitch, but that's neither here nor there."

"Wait, glitch? what do you mean? Who was the first subject?"

Squip looks like he ate a really sour lemon but in an angry way, before he sighs, his shoulders dropping and looking up at the ceiling. 

"You're one nosy son of a bitch, huh? The first test subject doesn't matter since he's dead now."

He's what?! Will I die too? Oh god I'm screwed and for what? For a chance to talk to some girl who doesn't even know I exist!? Oh god I-

"Don't be stupid, dumbass. I was joking."

Jeremy really, really doesn't like Squip.

"Mutual. But his name is Rich and he's the one who showed you where to buy my summoning spell in the first place. His glitch is simply a weak connection between the host and the demon, which is seemingly in the middle of being exploited, so, we're trying different ways to keep things consistent."

"Does this mean I'm going to have a glitch, too? Could this, like, actually kill me?"

"Maybe, but did you think you were signing up for a fun experience when you ripped a demon out of hell so you could climb up your school's social ladder?"

"You got me there. But like, what do we do now?"

"What do you mean, what do we do now?"

"I mean like, are you going to be here all the time? Where do you go when you don't have a physical form anyways? They don't teach you this stuff in demonology101. There isn't even a demonology101; you guys are an off-limits topic."

"Oh, I'm coinhabiting your body with you. You better start getting used to the idea of having me inside of you all the time- and not just in your head. I'm everywhere, Jeremy. I could take over if we didn't have this contract between us. I mean, I can take control right now if you commanded me to."

"Would I be able to get it back?"

Squip grins and it goes right to Jeremy's dick. He's an asshole and a demon and he's got no right to be that stupidly attractive. Somehow the thought of being completely powerless to Squip is super hot? He gets shivers and doesn't even try to hide it since he knows Squip is already privy to everything that goes through his head. 

Images flash through his head of skin inside of skin, writhing and squirming, colliding and melding. It's fucked up and it's making Jeremy uncomfortably horny.

"Really, Jeremy? I mean, I can't blame you since I'm naturally more attractive than any human ever will be, but really? I know I called you a twink, but that's a little too much." 

Jeremy didn't think Squip would acknowledge this turn of events. Or, at least he was hoping he wouldn't. Well, shit. His face is redder than it's ever been in his whole life, he's sure of it, and cannot make eye contact with him at all.

"Dammit, Squip, when are you going to get out of my head?!"

"Whenever I get into your bed, it seems." Jeremy doesn't have to be looking to hear the shit-eating grin on his face right now.

"Squip please," His voice cracked. This interaction cannot get any worse. 

"Oh, I assure you, it can. Remember our new rule about working out when you thought about sex? Yeah, we're putting that into place. Hop to it, the push-ups won't do themselves!"

Jeremy really hates Squip.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy tries his best and gets laughed at by his sleep paralysis demon more at 10. sponsored by my shitty office chair which has been featured in this chapter. cheers for ruining my back you rolling piece of shit

Jeremy sits slouched at his computer, scrolling away.

“Are you looking at porn again?” Squip scoffs from behind him. Jeremy jerks upright so fast it causes the chair to spin sideways, and he frowns. 

“What? No! That’s not all I do! Besides, you laid down some stupid strict consequences for that,” he grumbles, plucking at a thread on his sleeve and avoiding Squip’s gaze. 

Squip leans in closer and hums, squinting at the screen, his breath ghosting the shell of Jeremy’s ear. It makes him shiver, but he doesn't want Squip to know that, so he rolls away, letting him scroll through his social media.

“Cyberstalking pacmansgotaphatblunt. What the fuck? This is why you’re at the bottom of the social totem pole, Jeremy. Nerds of a feather get their ass kicked together. Next time you decide to creep through someone's social media, at least make sure they're of higher social standing than you are; this is just getting sad.” 

Jeremy tries to glare, really, but it doesn't have the effect he wants since all Squip does is raise a dark eyebrow in that way he does when he's judging the hell out of him. He sighs, begrudgingly offering an answer and worrying at his lower lip.

“I just... wanted to check if Michael was active, that's all. He said he might drop by later if his cruiser hasn't bitten the dust yet,” 

“He drives a PT Cruiser?” Squip barks out a laugh, and Jeremy's head whips up to look at him, surprised by the sudden sound. "What am I going to find out about him next? Does he have an Asian girl fetish?? Is he planning on growing an afro? Does he jack it to cartoons? What a fucking loser, I'm seriously floored by how low you both keep getting."

That's where Jeremy draws the line. Making fun of Michael is off-limits.

“Okay, dude, that's way too much. Michael and I may be losers, but he’s my best friend, and honestly, the coolest guy I've ever known - don't comment on that or I swear I'm going to cancel this contract faster than you can finish saying it - so maybe step off? Ribbing at me is fine, because, like, I get it. You didn’t sign up to be at the beck and call of a hormonal geeky teen ‘cause maybe that’s beneath you, but-“ 

"Jesus fucking Christ, kid, just eat the fucking chocolate bar and be cool. Look- it's all mind games, I don't actually think your buddy is a mouth breathing incel who spends his time masturbating to doubtfully legal anime chicks." Squip shoots him a teasing grin, one side of his mouth twitching higher than the other and giving Jeremy a good glimpse of just how thick and sharp his teeth really are, which irritates Jeremy to no end. He's not allowed to make Jeremy horny right now, he's pissed at him. "Just... don't take everything I say so seriously, alright? I'd say I'll try to be less of a dick, but where's the fun in that?" 

Handsome bastard. Jeremy knows he just wants to get a rise out of him, and well, two can play at that game. Maybe not right now, though, because in the name of being an unapologetically monster fucking bi disaster, his higher brain function has completely ceased. 

"Just don't go so far next time. I don't mind you being an asshole since it's just one of your many unredeeming qualities, but I won't let you be so vicious about it."

Jeremy rolls back to his computer, seeing the notification that Michael messaged him a few minutes ago, letting him know he'd be over in a bit. Rad.

Squip pops back over his shoulder, still breathing lightly on his ear and giving Jeremy goosebumps that he prays go unnoticed.

"You know," he says- almost whispers, which he knows is on purpose and Jeremy swears he'll get the demonic bitch back one of these days. When he figures out how. "I was wondering when you were going to tell Michael about us."

For a very long and very confusing second, Jeremy's thoughts flatline and he feels Lucifer himself dragging his soul into the depths of hell. Oh no, wait, that's just a blush. Nevermind. Crisis averted.

"Uh. Us?"

Squip chuckles and Jeremy feels it vibrate in Squip's chest, which is so unfair. This is cheating.

"Our contract. You told him you'd have him help you with finalizing a contract, didn't you? Have you told him that you directly lied to him so you could beg me for power?"

Oh. Right.

"F- first off. I, like, uh. I didn't beg you for power, I just asked if you could boost me a bit, I don't know, that was days ago, I can't remember what I said that long ago but it definitely wasn't begging. Secondly, you're not funny."

Jeremy tosses his head back, hitting Squip's shoulder and looking at the side of his head. He sees Squip raise an eyebrow, but not in his judgemental way. Serves him right. 

"Thirdly, you're right. I... I shouldn't be lying to him for this long. Might as well just tell him."

Squip shifts a little so he can look into Jeremy's eyes, his face deadly serious. 

"I'm so proud of you for coming out, Jeremy. That's not easy to do."

"Squip I'm going to bash your tongue in with a clear quartz because I need to absorb and destroy all the bullshit vibes you're putting out into my room."

Squip breaks out into uncontrollable laughter, and Jeremy hates how enthralled he is by the sound.

No matter how many times Squip pulls the Jeremy's a monster fucker card it consistently makes him want to drop into a hole and forget he ever existed and the terrible bastard just... won't let him live it down. Life is a nightmare and he wishes he wasn't so pasty so he wouldn't get so bright red every time it happened.

"You're not funny," he grumbles, lifting his head from where it had been leaning and blinking rapidly as the feeling returned to the back of his neck. He hadn't even noticed it going numb.

He hears Michael pull into the drive and he's grateful for the distraction. Michael pulls his usual routine, walking in without knocking, announcing himself loudly, and taking Jeremy's bed hostage for the next few hours.

"Jeremy's going to come out to you Michael, isn't that a joy?"

Jeremy does a facepalm, which he never thought he'd do in his life do to the fact that it's an overdone cliche but some situations just call for one.

"Uh... he already came out? In like... 7th grade."

"Squip, shut up for like, 5 minutes please, I'm begging you."

"Is that an order?"

"It is now, shitheel."

The words he just spoke drain into the floor, and Squip lights Jeremy's blood on fire and turns his bones into gunfire. There's a very violent collision inside of Jeremy as he grieves the loss of every name he's ever been given and ever will have.

He explains to Michael everything - or, almost everything, about how he went behind Michael's back and finalized the contract without him there.

It's quiet for a few seconds, and just as Jeremy starts to think he really, really fucked up and takes in a breath to apologize, Michael holds up a hand and looks him in the eyes, expression flat and concerned and frustrated.

"Jeremy you've done a lot of stupid shit but this is by far the dumbest you have ever done. I'm not magically inclined and even I know how dangerous it can be to borrow demonic power like this. I'm ticked you went and pulled some sketchy shit and didn't even think to mention it to me, but I'm glad you told me about it. There's not going to be a next time, right?"

Jeremy nods, afraid to say anything until he knows Michael is done with his lecture. "Your demon daddy over here is almost definitely going to pulverize your life's virgin asshole, I hope you're prepared for that." 

Jeremy is decidedly not going to think about Squip pulverizing any virgin asshole, and he feels Squip looking at him with his stupid dark judgemental eyes. He can almost hear him say something stupid and insulting about how he's putting another quarter in the horny Jeremy jar. 

It's a real thing and it's Jeremy's biggest shame.

"Yeah, I'm as prepared as I can be, I guess. That's why you have my spell, remember?" Jeremy tries to smile, but he feels like it came off as a grimace.

He was probably right, since Michael gets off his bed and pulls him into a really warm and weed-scented hug. Michael gives great hugs.

"I love you man, nothing's gonna change that."

"Yeah, me too."

In that sentiment, Michael sneezes behind Jeremy's head and laughs, wiping his nose on Jeremy's shirt and holding him in place as he struggled to get free. Squip chortles in the background, which is very unappreciated. Why can't it be angel summoning? Summon a nice angel who will save you when your closest friend wipes his snot on the back of your shirt. That would be ideal.

"Dude! Uncool!"

Michael shrugs, grinning, and flops back on Jeremy's bed. They spend the next few hours sitting around in mostly silence, showing each other random funny shit they find on their social media every so often.

Michael leaves just like he came over, abrupt and loud. He promises to be back over before the next coven meet so he can check out all the new shit Jeremy's going to use. 

"You know you mentioned that thing coven when you first summoned me. So, that's like, still a thing? Or are you giving up on magic now that you've summoned me because, obviously, I'm the greatest thing that will ever come out of you using magic."

"Uh-huh. Sure. I didn't summon you to use you for your magic, though, I wanted you to like... I don't know, teach me something... or... or like, amplify my abilities, maybe?"

Squip picks at some dirt under his claws, and Jeremy wonders how they even get dirty if all he does is bitch and insult him all day.

"If I amplified your abilities you'd be using demonic magic, and you'd never be able to use your own magic ever again, still wanna go through with that?"

"... no. But you could at least give me pointers or a new spell or something, I don't wanna show up not having improved at all since you've got me spending all my time working out or throwing out my clothes. I've never been this poor in my life, and my dad is starting to wonder why I'm going to the mall so often. It's very out of character for me, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But at least you don't dress like you just stumbled out of 2011, and you're getting more comfortable with talking to cashiers! Shocking that you didn't immediately start crying when she asked you if you were going to want your hangers or not."

"Fair point. About my coven though, each meeting is where we kinda like... I don't know, we show off what we know and trade spells and items the other person needs or doesn't have. It's like a magical show and tell. We meet every first quarter moon. We've still got-" Jeremy leans over to look at a sorely neglected calendar pinned crookedly on his wall, "a good 2 weeks ‘till the next one."

Squip stands, stretching and popping his back. Jeremy cringes. He hates that sound.

"Guess I could help you out some till then. show me what you've got witch-boy aside from summoning demons, obviously."

Jeremy doesn't have to think about what spell to show off- the levitation spell he's been working on is the most impressive thing he's got right now and he's right proud of it- he came up with it himself. He gets up, grabbing a blue sticky note, a feather, and a small leather pouch he keeps in a big box of magic tools under his bed. Carefully, Jeremy draws the sigil he created and places the note on his keyboard. Next, he puts the feather on the middle of the note and coats it in a small amount of blue sand he had in the small pouch. He snaps, and the note and everything on it dissipates into a small puff of air. The keyboard lifts, slowly at first, but rises at a more steady pace the more control Jeremy gains over it. He glances back at Squip, looking as smug as he possibly can. Squip, however, takes one look at Jeremy's face and doubles over in laughter. 

Jeremy huffs, scrunching up his face and blushing in embarrassment, waiting for Squip to finish laughing so he can just get the tongue lashing over with already.

...

There has got the be a better phrase for that.

Squip wipes a tear from his eyes, chuckling a few more times. 

"That's all you've got? How the hell didn't you die when you summoned me? Your magic is even less impressive than your social life and that's really saying something."

"Look, man, I’m sorry I’m not a magical genius, but the fact that I didn't die when I summoned you has to count for something, right?" 

That makes Squip stop for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. 

"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe you've got some latent genius or huge reserves of magical energy or someshit. Makes sense."

"Okay, then, Squip. Teach me magic."

Squip smiles, and Jeremy is in the ribcage of reality again. Inky black liquid in the form of numbers leaks from his nose and he's watching Squip, hunched over Jeremy's corpse, eat his organs one by one. The corpse and Squip look up.

And Jeremy is back in the real world. He slouches, trying to catch his breath. He's not sure what the correlation is, but every time he gives Squip an order, it pulls on some visceral part of his mind and he has these intense vivid hallucinations. He figures it has something to do with how much magic it must take to force a demon to do something.

"Since you showed me a levitation spell, I’ll show you a more advanced version of levitation. I'll teach you how to make yourself levitate, how's that sound?"

Jeremy blanks, processing the possibility of being able to do that. It takes a second, but when it does, a tired but excited grin pulls up the edges of Jeremy's lips. 

"That sounds absolutely wicked, but I’m gonna need a second right quick. I'll be right back, I’ve got to get some water."

He coughs, standing and stumbling for a second before catching himself on the wall. He's pretty dizzy, so he takes the stairs one at a time to the kitchen.

The water seemed to help a little, so he takes a deep breath and walks back up the stairs.

Squip is lazily leaning against the wall next to his window, the same cheeky asshole grin he always wears still playing on his lips. He salutes at Jeremy, which makes both of them snort out a laugh.

"So, now that we're all hydrated- you ready to begin?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO!!! been a while, huh? Got a new keyboard, so, i'm gonna prewrite a bunch of chapters while i'm still in the mood to write on my fancy new typewriter kyboard :3c hope it's not super disconnected from the rest of it haha


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wrote this like. a week ago, and i don't even remember what i wrote B)

Learning magic was a lot more simple than Jeremy thought it would be, but maybe it's because he had a being made out of magic to guide him that it felt easier than learning the basics. Or maybe it's because he already knows the basics that it's easy, he couldn't really tell. 

But it did take a lot of energy to pull these insane types of spells, so he couldn't do them for very long yet, or very often. Squip says it's like training your body, that you need to do small repetitions over and over again in order to be able to pull heavier spells or to pull the same spell for longer. he's even learning how to do them without drawing a sigil first.

The longer Jeremy had his demon contracted, the more he wondered why it was so taboo to summon one. It might be kind of tiring to keep one around, but so long as you were smart about it they couldn't do any real harm. Jeremy was living better than he ever was before he'd had Squip. Sure, he had less time to hang out with Michael since he was so busy listening to what he said, but at least there was discord and video chats and school. 

Seriously, Jeremy could see muscles under his skin now, and he felt more magically empowered than ever. Hell, he was starting to even enjoy Squips company. He was a snarky asshole, but he was a good teacher and they got along pretty well, all things considered. He talked all big in the beginning, but sometimes he'll do things without a direct order. Jeremy hasn't said anything about it though just in case he'd stop if he brought it up.

Jeremy could hold levitation for a full 3 minutes if he was actually focused, and he was already moving onto what Squip called "manifesting nearby items," which was basically just teleporting stuff, but Squip doesn't like it when he calls it teleportation- said it was a stupid name for it. If it quacks like a duck, though, it's probably a duck, he thinks, secretly still calling it teleportation in his head as a silent fuck you.

Mostly, Jeremy was super jazzed to be able to show it to Christine. He was pretty sure he could talk to her now since all the social interactions he's been having while shopping lately has gotten him a good bit more comfortable with social interactions. He's not quite sure if Squip meant for it to be like that or not. His palms still sweat thinking about it, though, and his heart races enough to make his face kind of red.

Squip scoffs, overseeing his current state of trying to move his pencils from the kitchen to in front of him.

"You total virgin, what are you blushing about?? thinking about holding hands?" Squip blinks rapidly and makes dumb kissy faces. What an asshole.

Jeremy crosses his arms in return, squinting in faux anger. 

"What, like you're not a virgin? You're a demon, you guys don't have sex or anything, and you're like.... a baby demon so that means you've definitely never had sex."

Squip raises an eyebrow, and Jeremy can hear Squip calling him an idiot and he doesn't even say a word.

"Just because I'm a newer model doesn't mean I'm not hundreds of years old. I've been contracted time and time again since before your great grandparents were born. I've been around, kid, and you'd be surprised at how many witches are really horny for demons."

Jeremy is decidedly not very surprised, since he himself has been attracted to Squip on multiple occasions. He shrugs.

"Sometimes people are monsterfuckers, I guess. But, nevermind then, I guess."

Jeremy doesn't like how thinking about Squip having sex makes him feel, however, and he feels like he should be putting another quarter in the horny Jeremy jar for his current line of thought. He was... kind of jealous, too, honestly, but he wasn't sure if he was sure of Squip or the people who Squip screwed.

Panicking, Jeremy pulls out his phone and opens Instagram, trying to cleanse his impure thoughts with the beauty and innocence of Christine's very existence. 

Squip peeks over Jeremy's shoulder, cackling.

"I was right, you were totally blushing about hand holding!"

He should've thought better than to do that now, he should've gone to the bathroom and avoided the nosy demon. He would've still been made fun of, but at least he would've had deniability. 

"I wasn't, though," he mumbles, still scrolling, "Just needed to clear my mind of the idea of you having sex."

"You're either a complete liar or you don't know what you want."

Squip swivels Jeremy's chair around, nearly slamming his arms down on both of Jeremy's arm rests, startling a squeak out of him and making him drop his phone. Squip moves his face dangerously close to Jeremy's, and tilts Jeremy's head up- their faces were centimeters away and Jeremy had so much blood rushing to his face he wondered if the rest of his body had any. 

"Tell me, Jeremy," Squip purrs, and Jeremy's breath catches in his throat, trying to beat his tonsils to death with how rapid his heart was beating.

"What do you really want?"

Images that Jeremy was surely not imagining by himself flew by in his mind, like 3D hentai on demand but in his brain. 

He wants to say it was unpleasant, but the closer he got to pushing those few spaces forward and meeting his mouth with Squips, the more he wanted to fall into those impossibly neon blue eyes and never come back out.

In a moment of clarity, he pushes Squip off, breathing heavily and grasping at his chest, doing everything in his power to calm back down.

"Well, that was an over-reaction," Squip drawls, lazily spinning his tail around his fingers.

"It was just a simple question."

Jeremy hasn't got enough air to respond to that, so he sucks in a deep breath and glares as hard as he possibly can.

"I don't know what the fuck that was, but it was totally not "just a simple question.""

"If you knew anything about demonology, you'd know that it was."

Jeremy blanked. 

"Uh. Well, I know about, like, humanology, and I know that I'm not a demon, and by my standards, that was way more than a simple question and Squip never do something like that again."

Squip has the gall to look miffed, sniffing and clicking his tongue.

"Your wish is my command, Your Highness."

Squip fake bows, and disappears. Jeremy sighs. That's the end of that lesson, he guesses.

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my drafts for 30 years and i'm finally not a coward so i'm posting it! hope you enjoyed :)


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